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Spotlight: An Old Friend
---- A small bit of sweat dropped from Evelyn's face as she finished her practice. She stood there, panting for a few seconds. A small smile covered her lips before she nodded, happy with herself. It had gotten a bit chilly outside and dark, night closing in. Evelyn didn't mind it too much as she looked at the sky. The mix of pink and purple bleed into the sky as the sun sinks down. She never got over how underappreciated this beautiful sight was. It was also most too sudden as she moved and picked up the few belongings she had, drinking from her water bottle. She jumped down from the stage and changed her outfit into a more casual one over the usual red show outfit. It wasn't exactly tatty but it wasn't good fashion sense either. A large lilac jumper covered most of her body, it clearly being two sizes too big for her. It was the comfort, that was all that mattered as she strutted over towards the inn she was staying, her ankle-boots clicking each time they hit the ground. The inn instantly gave her a breath of warm air and she welcomed it. The air only got colder outside which she hadn't expect, hopefully, it didn't freeze over before her show. One thing she didn't expect was how busy the inn was. She had booked in really early in the morning and the inn hadn't expected any guests but as she looked around all the tables were packed with people. Some were playing card games, one seemed to be giving a fortune to the other. She walked by, going towards her eye until a catch of red caught her eye. It was like a flicker of fire and Evelyn peeked her curiosity as she stared over towards it. A man stood near the bar area of the inn. He wasn't really catching her interest too much, she had seen better-looking men in her days. The thing that mainly caught her attention was his symbol on his arm. It was red, foreign yet all so familiar to Evelyn. She gripped onto her left shoulder blade without thinking, rubbing her mark. She walked up to him, a smile blossoming on her face. "Hello, Stranger, who would've thought the Spotlight Troupe was in town?" she spoke gently, not wanting to startle him. His mark kept her eyes glued to him. She never thought she would see them again. "Name's Evelyn. I am an entertainer," she offered her hand out giving her winning smile to him. She did, however, feel disappointed that she didn't know who she was. SHe would have to look for more similar faces later. Leonidas raised an eyebrow as the stranger opened her mouth. A smile appeared on his face as she mentioned the Spotlight Troupe. He didn’t recognize her, but maybe she was a fan. He shook her hand in response, a smile still on his face. “You know us,” he began, letting go of her hand. “Where there’s entertainment, we’re always there!” He examined the girl, he hadn’t met her before. She was shorter than him but exuded an aura of confidence, the look of an entertainer. “Branwen!” Leo called out. “Let’s give this one a free fortune!” he stated, gesturing to Evelyn. The girl from before, with noticeably light hair, stood up, her chair scraping back. She seemed to bounce over, with a small smile on her face. “Alright, Stranger,” She extended her hands, “give me your hands.” When Evelyn complied, Branwen studied them, as if looking at the lines to determine her fate. Palm reading, Evelyn assumed. Branwen’s face stayed blank in practised concentration. A memory shot through the contact and Branwen let go. “You’re one of us. Well, were one of us.” She said, looking Evelyn straight in the eye. It was neither an accusatory tone or an elated tone, just a statement of fact. It had been a while since Evelyn had her fortune done, she was used to giving them to people at this point. Still, she smiled at this girl named Branwen, nodding. "It has been two years now since my leave," she looked around the inn for a second and laughed. "Seems the Troupe hasn't gotten much quieter either," she flicked out a card, not any in particular but it had been sitting in her pockets like all her cards do. ALways close to her. "Who runs the Troupe now," Evelyn asked as she stared at the faces. She didn't notice many she knew. "I do not see the ringmaster about..." Leo was elated. “One of us?!” he exclaimed, patting Evelyn on the back. He laughed heartily, happy to meet someone that had been a member of the Troupe. They were like family, at least that was how Leo viewed it. Leo’s mood darkened as Evelyn mentioned the previous Ringleader. “The old geezer died. Heart attack.” he began, the mood sullied slightly. “But I’m the new Ringleader now.” He noticed the card appearing and he smiled again. “Cool trick.” He turned towards Branwen and nodded. “It’s almost time for our show. You’re probably ready, mind getting everyone else ready?” he asked, sending Branwen off to get the others ready. “So you were with us two years ago? How was the geezer back then?” Evelyn felt a little sorrow in her heart at the mention of the ringmaster's death. He was like a father to her, welcoming her in when things were tough. Then it was over, a smile played on her face. He never wanted to see anyone be upset. Evelyn's movements were quite slow but she turned around, moving her jumper down to show the new ringmaster her mark. It was but the same as his, the difference being the placement and EVelyn's looking rather worn out in places. She stroked it gently before putting her jumper back in place, looking into Leo's eyes. "He was the same as always, the kind of man that was more of a father than a ringmaster. Well, until he went on stage. He always got so nervous and you could see the tension in his face. I think it was part of our inspiration though," Evelyn rambled a little before looking back at Leo, shaking her head a little. "That doesn't matter much anyways, I am sure he will be happy. Tell me, I never caught your name, Stranger?" Leo nodded. “Yeah the geezer was like another father to me,” he said, looking away wistfully. He rubbed his own mark unconsciously, thinking about the show. “If he was always nervous, I don’t know how I’m able to stand up there. Sometimes I feel like barfing up on the stage! That’d be messy.” he ranted before turning back to Evelyn. “I’m Leonidas Nemeason. I joined a year ago,” he stated, taking a seat a bit farther away. On the table was a suitcase. However, it reacted to Leo’s magic signature, opening up instantly. It transformed into a workshop of sorts, littered with gems. “You want a jewel? I can make and craft one for you now, any shape. Free of charge for you.” Evelyn chuckled a little, her smile turning into a smirk. She went over to Leo and ruffled his hair playfully. "You're just a little baby, how adorable!" her eyes quickly glanced at the workbox that opened. Her eyes seemed to glitter as she looked at the jewels inside. Evelyn is a simple girl with a simple heart. "I will happily have anything you make me, I will even add it to my show clothes," Evelyn is obsessed with outfits and shiny objects. She seemed to be like a magpie at times. She sat down on a chair next to Leo, not right next to him to give him some room, but she watched earnestly. Leo seemed to think about what to make before deciding on it. He put on a piece of apparel that resembled a monocle but acted as a magnifying glass. He pulled out a small pick and pulled out a decently sized sapphire. Taking his pick, he cracked out a chunk of the sapphire and began working. He meticulously crafted, using his fire magic to occasionally remove out small bumps. After a mere fifteen minutes, he had finished. Two earrings composed of pure sapphire, shaped like teardrops. It was seemingly perfect in design, not too big, not too small. Not too dull, not too bright. Yet as Leo handed them over to Evelyn, he looked disappointed. “Sorry, they aren’t the best. Didn’t have enough time, after all the Troupes performing soon,” he stated a blank expression on his face. Evelyn simply nodded. Staring at the beautiful jewels she instantly started to think of what outfit this would work with. She sapped her figures happiness sprouting on her face as she glowed with a faint white light. Her outfit changed entirely, a black dress with a tartan blue and red skirt, long black and white socks in a checker pattern went down till they reached red and blue ankle boots. A chocker seemed to be on her neck like a bow and a top hat sat on her hat. The sudden change in clothes didn't faze Evelyn much as she hocked her earrings onto her ears. They almost seemed like they came with the outfit. Evelyn did a spin before looking at Leo. Her hands went on her hips before swinging up as if to scream "TA DAAAA!" but instead she spoke softly. "Well, what do you think ringmaster?" Evelyn winked, clearly wanting an opinion but also trying to wind Leo up a little. Leo chuckled. “They suit you.” he stated, waving his hand over the workshop. It instantly collapsed back into a suitcase. He walked up to her and patted her on the back. “Alright, time to take a seat. It’s time for the show!” Wit that he ran up to the stage, a wide grin on his face. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, welcome to the show!” he exclaimed. “I’d like to thank you guys for waiting patiently for us to start, we took more time to get ready than anticipated. If you’re looking for someone to blame, it’s not me.” he jested, spreading out his arms. “Of course, you’re not here to listen to me ramble on and on, if that was the case you guys would be my therapists! Anyways, without any further ado, let’s start the show by bringing out a sight you've never seen before. A druid, from islands unknown... Nature’s Emissary...I bring to you, Branwen!” he exclaimed, as the lights suddenly went out. The area was painted black in the dark, the stage empty as dim outside light poked in. It was in the center of the tavern, the crowd surrounding the circular platform. For a moment it fell silent beyond the hushed chatter of an expectant audience. A moment passed. Another. A man coughed. Then the faint flutter of wings. A thump as a single spotlight lit up a small bird circling the air. It swooped diving straight towards the stage and in what seemed to be a blink, Branwen landed. Murmurs rippled through the audience. She was easily recognized as the fortune teller from before the show, a beginning act of sorts, not actual talent. The silence lingered for another moment. And water burst from the floor around her. Vicious waves swept over the crowd and the moment before they came crashing down they smashed against an invisible barrier. The crash of ocean waves and the hiss of seaspray overtook the tavern in a cacophony before dissipating into thick, humid mist. Darkness took again, but this time not for long. Faint lights of dim green energy blazed in the fog, swaying and moving as if possessed by a breeze. Soon, people realized they were aligning themselves in a circle. The circle began to move, around and around until the orbs suddenly and swiftly rushed together above Branwen's head, the collision causing a flash of light that pierced through the fog. The crowd marveled at the sight though quickly fell silent again. Golden light rose coiled up from the tavern's floorboards, trailing around people's feet and bodies until it rose. Everywhere but the stage was swathed in a golden river of energy, slipping through the space left by the audience like warm honey. It wound towards her, leaving the floor behind as it climbed in a spiral around Branwen. Bursting up, the energy hit the ceiling, rupturing to golden rain and filtering down towards the audience. At a closer glance, as people held out their hands to touch the drops, they discovered it was not energy any longer. It was small, delicate buttercups. Branwen smiled as Leo's voice rang out again. "That is her folks! Nature's Emissary. A sight you've never seen before! The abilities of a Druid are phenomenal don't you agree?" The crowd roared and cheered as Branwen smiled and bowed. Once, twice, three times before the crowd finally settled. Leo made his way back up to the stage, a smirk on his face. "If that wasn't amazing, I don't know what is," he proclaimed. He spread his arms out yet again, his smirk transforming into a smile. "Next up, introducing. Well, I'm not sure if he's that impressive. A bit of a slacker. Bit of a jerk really. But he's here anyway. Me!" As the words left his mouth, he was soon covered in flames. The lights vanished, leaving only Leo covered in his blazing sphere of fire. The ball began to dim in brightness, eventually leaving the entire tavern shrouded in the darkness. Suddenly, it began to brighten in various locations for a brief period of time, illuminated by a warm-orange colour, as if it were enticing others to come closer. It worked. People moved their attention to the disappearing and reappearing orange lights, a few moving their arms out to touch them. As if they had been trained to do so, the arms made contact with the orange lights in unison. As the two sources made contact, the orange lights seemingly melted into the ground, and once again the tavern was in darkness. Then the light reappeared, this time on the ground. The ground beneath their feet was transformed into a sea of orange, seemingly made of small orange dust bunnies. They grazed by the feet of people for a while, the warm colour welcoming to all. Then they shot upwards, grazing by the faces of the people, tickling them. The lights began to collect and form into a sphere above the crowd, before disappearing outwards yet again, vanishing soon after. The lights returned, revealing Leo with a smile on his face. "Wasn't that fun?" he asked. The crowd erupted in applause, praising the man for the wonderful light show. He bowed until the applause slowly began to fade. "That's the first portion of our show, when we get back, you're all in for a wonderful show!" he exclaimed, walking off the stage as the crowd began to head to the bar for drinks. Leo met up with Evelyn, a smile on his face. "How was that?" he asked, wanting to know what she thought of the show. Evelyn smiled softly while holding onto one of Branwen's buttercups in her hand. She twirled it in her fingers before looking at Leo. "Your form was off..." Evelyn paused for ages, looking at Leo's face before sniggering. The snigger quickly turned into a heat-filled laugh. "I was joking, ah it gets everyone," she whipped a tear away before she smiled. "Branwen's performance was enchanting while your performance was hot, literally. The troupe hasn't stopped its greatness that's for sure. Thought, not sure your as great as me Leo but for your age, your doing great!" Leo bowed in an exaggerated manner, grinning as he rose. "That means a lot to me, coming from a professional such as yourself!" he exclaimed. "I haven't performed in quite a bit, always been busy with making up plans for the whole troupe and the such. But I'm glad to see I haven't become completely dull!" Branwen cut in politely, "Thank you for the compliment." Leo grinned. "Say, are you going to perform, Evelyn?" he asked, his eyes lighting up. "That'd be amazing! We'd get to see a really skilled performer in action! Come on, could ya please perform?"